r/IDontWorkHereLady

I’m sure so many can relate to this happening to them:

When I was at the grocery store last Saturday I was going through my usual aisles while my husband took the other half of the aisles. I wear a lanyard for carrying my keys and my fob for getting into work. This particular grocery store all employees wear lanyards with Employee ID Badge instead of name tag. I get the next item on my list and a woman approached me asking if an item in her coupons is still available and I simply smiled and said, “I don’t work here I’m sorry.” The woman then noticed my lanyard didn’t have an employee id badge.

The woman blushed and apologized which I told her it’s ok, I also told her I had just come from the aisle the item in question was supposed to be in and I told her I think there’s a few items left which she thanked me and was on her way. As my husband and I were loading our cars (we have to take two cars because we have a big family to shop for) the woman walks by and thanks me again saying she found what she wanted and I said she was welcome then we went our separate ways.

OK, for a little clarification, I work for a company that provides additional security services to various venues in and around the city where I live.

I had worked multiple times doing bag checks at this particular venue that has Broadway shows on tour. I'm usually placed at one of the two accessible entrances.

However, on this day, I was there to see the show.

I was dressed up quite nicely and seated on a bench, reading on my phone while I waited for my mother, who was using the restroom when a lady and I'm guessing, her mother who was a wheelchair user comes up to me and demanded that I help them to their seats.

I explained that I didn't know where their seats were, but I'm sure an usher could help them.

Then she snapped that she knew I worked there and I needed to get up and help her.

I said firmly that I was here to enjoy the show as a guest tonight with my mother and repeated that an usher could help her find her seats.

(Even if I had been working, I still would have told her to find an usher because I had no clue about the seating)

Just then, my mother, also a wheelchair user, came out of the bathroom, so I got up and walked off with her to find our own seats.

It turns out our seats were fairly close to eachother, and she spent most of the show looking uncomfortable, especially when we had to share an elevator on our way out.

The lady's mother did quietly apologize in the elevator. The lady just looked embarrassed.

We saw the Phantom of the Opera if anyone was wondering what the show was.

It started a few years ago when my daughters a-hole friend was screaming at his girlfriend for his car overheating, I asked her "should I put on a dress and go help him" Of course she tolled her eyes and said no, but I took it as a bit of a challenge.

I was at Harbor Freight one time and a few guys were trying to load whatever big things on a flatbed trailer. They were almost fighting about how to do it, and having common sense, it looked simple to me. Luckily I WAS wearing a dress that day! I was parked a few aisles away, so I went and put my things in the car, then circled back so it seemed like I may have come out of the store.

Walked up like I was a police officer, hands on my hips and asked "having some trouble here?" Of course they looked at me with their jaws on the ground. I walked around their trailer a few times, pointed out where this one and that one should go, and walked away.

I have dark tinted windows so I drove over closer to see what kind of crazy they assumed I am, cracked a window to hear "wow, she's right! Why don't they have people working at all these stores to help you load things up?"

I couldn't even laugh, I was that shocked. I couldn't resist pushing it a little. I got out of my car and walked toward them again. They thanked me up and down, mentioned something about working there. I told them "Oh I don't work here, I'm with the Man Card Compliance Department, there's been lots of reports of cards being handed out too liberally. Unfortunately, I will need to revoke yours today."

If I thought their jaws were on the floor before?! Man that really did it! No I don't work here, I work for a "higher authority"

This happened last year at a home improvement store.

I had just finished helping my dad fix something at his place, and I was still wearing a plain blue polo and khakis. Not a uniform, just unfortunately close enough to what the employees wear.

I’m standing in the aisle comparing two types of light bulbs when this woman walks up and just parks her cart right next to me.

No “excuse me,” no “hi.”

Just “You need to open another register. The line is ridiculous.”

“Oh, I don’t work here.” I told her while smiling.

She sighs loudly like I’ve personally disappointed her. “Don’t give me that. I saw you helping someone earlier.”

“Yeah…my dad.”

She crosses her arms. “Unbelievable. I’m going to report you.”

At this point I just shrug and go back to my light bulbs. I’ve read enough of these stories to know where this is going.

About five minutes later, I head to the front to actually pay and there she is, standing at customer service with a manager.

And then I hear it.

That’s him. That’s the employee who refused to help me. She said to the manager.

The manager looks at me. I look at the manager.

And that’s when it clicks.

The manager…is my cousin.

He recognizes me immediately and just goes, “Dude, what are you doing here?”

I start laughing. The woman looks between us like her brain is buffering.

He turns back to her and says, completely straight-faced, “Ma’am, he doesn’t work here.”

She doubles down: “Well he should! He’s dressed like it and he’s been walking around like he owns the place.

My cousin goes, “He kind of does… he’s family. But not that kind of family.”

She huffs, grabs her cart, and leaves without buying anything.

My cousin leans over and goes, “For the record, you’d be fired if you did work here.”

So yeah. Apparently I got reported to management, by someone who doesn’t work here, about someone who doesn’t work here😂

I was eating at McDonalds. I was wearing black jeans and a grey turtleneck sweater. When I was finished I got up and wanted to bring my tray to the collecting station. Crazy lady two tables to my left sees me, waves at me and wants to give me her tray full of trash.

Im like "Im not working here lady, clean up your own trash". She seemed perplexed. I just left.

Didnt know that McDonalds employees were wearing grey turtleneck sweaters. And if she didnt mistake me for an employee and just wanted a random stranger to clean up her trash for her, its even more infuriating.

A little different from most stories in this sub, but I hope it’s close enough to fit.

I was shopping in a store with a little cafe in the front. I was taking a break from my job, and not really wanting to go back, so I bought a book and ordered some food in the cafe. I thought I’d have a snack and relax a little.

After I had my food on the table ready to eat, I noticed it was starting to rain outside. I’d left the window in my work truck down. I left my food and book on the table and headed out.

Trying to not get too wet (and concerned they’d clear my table before I got back) once I got outside, I started jogging down the parking lot toward my truck. There was a guy about 10 meters ahead of me pushing a cart who must have heard my footsteps behind him. He turned with a startled look on his face, let go of the cart and took off running. I ran to the cart and stopped it. There was just one item in the cart, a large carton containing a new microwave oven.

I pushed the cart back toward the store, stopping to close my truck window. When I brought the cart inside the store, I pushed it over to the little security desk and explained what happened. There was a guard there plus another store employee who had been talking while the shoplifter rolled his loot right past the security desk. The guard seemed sheepish when he explained I’d caught a shoplifter. He said the in-store security people dressed like me, basically just ratty jeans, a faded jean jacket and an old Star Wars t-shirt, so they wouldn’t look like security when they followed suspected shoplifters around the store.

Since I’d recovered the store’s stolen property, the security guy offered to buy me lunch in the cafe. I told him I already had my lunch waiting for me. Too bad, because I truly love a free lunch. The guard must have been a little embarrassed that he‘d just let the shoplifter roll right past him. Happy ending, my food and book were still there.

I got a call from my wife on the way home from work last night that she didn’t have enough bananas for her banana pudding and asked if I could run into the grocery store to get some for her before getting home. No problem.

I immediately find a spot to park, I immediately grab bananas, and then walk back to the front of the store. It wasn’t extremely busy but there was a good flow of foot traffic in most aisles.

When I got to the front I was confused because there was a line of about 7 people in front of me to checkout. I glanced around and didn’t spot any other cash register open so I just assumed they were short staffed and started to scroll on my phone.

A few minutes passed and I finally made it to the front of the line only to realize it wasn’t even a checkout line. It was the line of overnight stockers coming into work to scan their badge in to clock in. So I’m at the front of this line holding bananas like an idiot staring back at the ID scanner with multiple employees behind me waiting for their turn.

I thought about dropping the bananas and just running to my car. But I quietly owned it, walked over to a self checkout, got in my car, and drove home in silence.

I won’t be back in there for a while. Lol.

I was trying on shoes the other week, black jeans, black t-shirt, black zip up hoody and over the ear headphones. I was also wearing my sunflower lanyard.

I'm sitting down doing my shoes up & I notice a woman standing very close to me, so I look up at her and she asks me to get her a pair of shoes to fit her daughter who's in a pram in the kids section.

Now, the staff at this store all wear green polos with black trousers and green lanyards and there were plenty of them running around.

I just looked at her and said "no." She asked why not and I had to point out I didn't work there. She said, "oh. Sorry" and walked off.

My guess is that she'd seen me put back the stuff that I'd tried on, instead of leaving them for the staff. Kids aisle was a mess after she'd finished

Years ago in high school, I worked for a grocery store chain and was offered OT one Saturday at a different location. I arrived very early due to much lighter traffic than expected so I stopped off at a local record store. This place had a very hippy vibe/black lights etc. so all the employees were in tie dye/long hair stoner types. Me in dress pants, shirt and tie started thumbing through the Heavy metal section looking for cds. This lady started following me around and eventually rudely asked me where to find the Barry Manilow after I had ignored her for several minutes. Offended I responded 'How the hell would I know' and proceeded to the register to pay for my goods. It was not until I was almost to my workplace that it hit me she thought I worked there.

I was chilling the other afternoon, catching up on some life admin and finally getting around to sending the multiple emails in my drafts. When I heard a dog barking followed by someone knocking on my door. One of my neighbours has a dog and they often pop round to say hi and check in, so I figured that was who it was.

I go to my door and it's a lady I didn't recognise with a dog and I am going to assume her grandson. With a man sitting in a red car parked partially on the footpath. Now the moment I saw them I knew they most likely had gotten the address wrong because there was a dog grooming business at number 51 and I live at number 15 and this mistake has happened once before.

This is how the conversation played out:

Me - Hi, can I help you?

Lady - Yes we're here to drop off the dog for his grooming appointment.

Me - I'm sorry, you must have me confused with number 51 that's the dog groomers. This has happened before, the house is at the opposite end of the street.

Lady - Are you sure?

Me - Yes, you want number 51 not number 15.

Lady - But my daughter told me it was number 15!

Me - I am positive I am not a dog groomer, in fact I have 2 cats! You want number 51.

Lady - Oh, if you're sure it's number 51, we must have the wrong address. Sorry for bothering you.

I then heard her tell the man in the car that the dog groomers were at number 51 not 15 so her daughter must've given them the wrong address.

I just found it strange that she asked me multiple times if I was sure I wasn't a dog groomer despite there being no signage or any indication of me being a dog groomer. In fact one of my cats was glaring at the dog from a safe distance, annoyed that it's barking had interrupted her beauty sleep!

I should also note that I rent from my parents who have owned the house for 18 years now so it wasn't like there had previously been a dog groomer operating out of the house recently!

I was shopping with a shopping cart at local Target, obviously wearing a red shirt and not one that would have been allowed if I was an employee as it wasn’t appropriate nor was my pants. I was just wandering up and down aisles. I had a lady following me so I kept moving to keep out of her way. She eventually came up to me and said she had been trying to get my attention to get help.

Help? With what? I asked.

Can’t find X.

I’m like sorry I can’t help I don’t know what that is.

Well it is your job.

Ma’am I don’t work here. I am shopping.

I walked away.

I am going to report you.

I just waved her off and kept walking.

hi all, just found this sub so thought i'd share. i wear lanyards all the time, they've got my keys/ID/debit card etc. it's sort of an accessibility thing, but i consider it basically part of my wardrobe now, so i have a bunch in different colours/patterns.

a few weeks ago i made the mistake of wearing a blue lanyard in a store that has a lot of blue branding. mind you, i wasn't wearing anything that could be construed as a uniform -- very casual shorts, graphic t-shirt, and i had earphones in minding my own business.

a lady comes up to me in one of the aisles and very abruptly asks me, "do you work here?"

this happens to me ALL the time. i pull an earphone out (kind of obviously, to indicate that i was listening to music and pretty clearly not working) and cheerfully and politely say "uh, nope!"

usually whoever asks me looks sort of embarrassed and apologises and then moves on with their life, but this lady gave me such a weird offended look before turning around and storming away. so strange. haven't had that one before.

Title says it all.

I went into a Shoppers, which had a post office inside. I can't remember what I was curious about, but this man that was in the same aisle as me was wearing a bright red sweater. People who work at this post office always seem to wear red, so I for some reason assumed that meant, he must work here!

anyway, I walked over to him, started talking his ear off and asking him if he knows anything about certain makeup products they sold at said store, all for him to look at me bewildered and said "ma'am I don't work here." I felt so embarrassed. why did I assume him wearing red meant he worked there? he got kind of frustrated when I didnt answer him back right away, I was more so shocked and mortified about what I have done. I couldn't even force an apology out. I haven't gone back

so this happend last October at mcm comic con london. I dressed as Runa from Kakegurui. If you dont know that character, its a school uniform and she wears a long orange coat with long bunny like ears on the hood. I didnt fully dress with school uniform, just the top, tie and coat, which was a cosplay coat that looked the same. Anyway i had about 4 people ask for help. I was standing outside one of the expo halls waiting for my bf and someone came up asking if there was any lockers left. said I dont know then they realised and said "oh you dont work here? im so sorry" laughed about it and went on. Someone else looked at me as in trying to decide to ask me for help but asked if I worked here. Another also asked something but cant fully remember and then the last one was when i was in the "Travelling man" book stall, browsing and someone came to me asking what time the con closed, i knew it was 5 but just acted like I didn't know since I didnt work there which he then also realised.

Im pretty sure workers didnt wear orange but correct me if im wrong if you was there or have been there. Just a note to self not to wear orange again 🙃

every time i visit REI someone mistakes me for an employee. they don't even ask. people just walk up to me and ask me where things are. i never know. i drive an hour to get to the closest REI. i am just as lost as you are, man.

the worst time was when i was wearing a dark green flannel (did not think about this being their brand's color), cargo pants and birkenstocks. two separate people. one shopping trip. the first time i was like haha sorry i dont work here. the second time i was like haha... sorry i dont work here. i don't work here, do i? do i work here?

So for context I have known the store manager of a local restaurant since I was a teenager. I have worked at the restaurant three times, several months at a time, when they were in need of extra staff because of my friendship with most of the management and became good friends with the store manager over the years so even to this day I am allowed in the employee only areas of the restaurant.

Well I used to work at a bookstore near the restaurant and would go there for lunch pretty often. Sometimes the manager would give me his keys and ask me to get some souvenir for a customer and in return I would get my lunch for free.

One day they were short staffed and extremely busy when I came over in my bookstore uniform to get my lunch and there was a line of people who were waiting to get their prepaid souvenirs. The souvenirs had to be bought while you were ordering your food.

I went into the kitchen and took the manager's keys out of his pocket and told him I was going to help out the souvenir line. I was able to clear the line in like 5 minutes and went to go get my food when a Karen walked in and started rudely demanding I get her several souvenirs, take her food order, and give her discounts.

I looked at her and said "The line starts over there. you have to pay for the souvenirs when you order ma'am." So she yelled at me to "just do my job." I told her "I don't work here, I'm just helping out. You have to pay before you can get a souvenir." Then I took the keys back to the manager told him about the Karen and he gave me my lunch free of charge and I tried to leave.

Karen didn't like that and grabbed my arm and started yelling at me. I yelled at her to let me go and the entire management staff came out of the back and got between us. The assistant store manager, who is not a very talkative or friendly guy, got in the Karen's face and yelled at her "What gives you the right to put your F*****g hands on my niece?" and before she could say anything in her defense he yelled at her "Get the F*** out of my restaurant and don't ever F*****g come back here." The store manager hand to get between him and the Karen who was now white as a sheet while the cook came over to escort the Karen out.

Now I call the assistant store manager Uncle Bob. And no his name is not Bob.

So this happened to my girlfriend a few days ago at a CVS. She was shopping for some Easter goodies, and an old woman approached her and goes “Hello?!” My gf, confused, responds “hello?…” Old lady asks where the magazines are and my gf, still confused, just asks “what?” The lady now yells “Oh my god! It’s not that hard, just tell me where they are, I don’t have all day!!” My gf just replies with “well you wasted more time because I don’t even work here.” The lady gives a half assed apology saying, “oh well, whatever, sorry. How would I know, you are literally wearing the uniform.” She was wearing a black Lululemon sweatsuit, definitely not a bright red CVS t shirt.

Imagine if she was an employee, though, and this is how she would’ve spoken to her?? I told her about this sub and she said I could share.

Came home a few nights ago to find an unexpected Amazon box at the end of my driveway by the mailbox. I got out and looked at the label, the delivery was for someone else with the same street number but very different street name. I looked it up and it's over a mile away in a different neighborhood.

It was late so I put the box in my car and, being a nice guy, went to her house to drop it off the next day. I pulled in front, got out and started walking up the path to her door when a 70something woman opened the door and started yelling at me.

Her: "Where has my package been? You didn't take it to my house yesterday! I needed this!" yada yada yada more yelling

Me: "I'm sorry, I'm not Amazon but this was dropped off at my house last night"

Her (still yelling): "You don't know how to do you're job! If you can't do a simple delivery right you don't deserve to have this job!"

Me: "Ma'am I don't work for Amazon this was just left at my house and I'm bringing it to you"

Her (now with phone in hand, recording me standing at the bottom of her porch steps, holding the box): "I'm going to send this to Amazon and you're going to get fired!" (continues to yell as I put the box on her path, turn around and go to my car to leave).

Some people...

I went to Walmart today to get some stuff. In the soap aisle an irritated man asked if I knew where the bar soap was. I said I didn’t know and he huffed and walked off.

I was wearing a blue shirt but that is not the same as the blue vests that actual employees wear.

So I recently started a new gig as someone who hands out samples at, let's say, BulkMart. Even though BM is where I go everyday, I'm not employed BY them, but rather by the company they contract to do this job. Let's call it "SampCo."

And most people who shop there aren't aware of that. They think we're just another part of BulkMart, even though our uniforms are noticeably different. All BM employees wear an orange hat, we wear purple. We wear one solid color, they wear street clothes. But we get that one might think we have some knowledge of the store, so it's even mentioned and part of our training.

We cannot leave our cart for any reason, unless it's for break (someone comes by to take over for you while you're gone), or to use the restroom (breakdown the cart so no food is out and turn it so no one can get in.) If a guest needs help finding something, our instructions are to have the person find a BulkMart employee or go to the front to ask. We don't know the inventory or layout of the store beyond our personal knowledge and what we're selling for the day, and we're not responsible for helping the guests find anything. Again, not permitted to leave the cart, even to help the guests, although most of us try to give direction if we can.

I have a minimum of 6 "I don't work HERE" interactions a shift. I get it, at first glance you just see an employee and you're distracted trying to find whatever it is you need. Most of the time, people realize the mistake right away, apologize, take a sample and go on with their day. But the other day, I finally met the exception.

I was pushing my cart, complete with a mini oven taller than me (and I ain't no shorty) to my spot when a man stopped me. Asked for some sort of smoothie bowl that I'd never seen or heard of. I said, "I'm so sorry, Sir, I have no idea because I'm not BM side, but you could check along this section because this is where it'd be.." and cut across me to say, "I already checked though there," before starting to stomp away.

I tried to apologize again and direct him to Services, but he just gave me a dirty look and said, "And you're not even gonna help me find someone?!" and stormed off.

With a cart, an oven, and the frozen food I'm supposed to cook? No.

Man, the audacity of the guy had me rolling all day. I told my manager about it, and she reaffirmed that I'm not to leave my cart unattended if possible, *especially* given that I had the oven. I hope he complained to guest services and they told him I did what I was supposed to lol

Thanks for reading!